Pat Ritter. Books

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'The Proposition' (A Bundy Quicksilver Mystery) - Page 41:

Quincy lived in the hills far enough away from the city he never wanted to return. Since he retired almost ten years before; he’d hibernated in the hills with his wife and about five hundred head of cattle. His only visitors, apart from his family, were Bundy from time to time.
Bundy showed Kate directions where to drive. Crossing a small creek, water flowing Kate accelerated across the water course to the other side, ‘it’s around the corner. Stop at the cattle yards and I’ll open the gate. There he is standing on the front veranda of the house up there on the hill.’ Bundy nodded.
Kate stopped the vehicle and Bundy alighted. He opened the gate and waved Kate to drive through. After closing the gate he returned to the car and they drove up the hill to park at the front of the house.
‘How’re you going – you ole bugger,’ came a boisterous voice from the veranda. Kate parked the vehicle and alighted. Her instant image of the man standing on the veranda was one of shock. A little over five foot six inches in height; huge belly; grey salt and pepper coloured beard covered his face and bright blue eyes sparkled with glee to see his visitors. He was wearing shorts and a farm shirt.
‘G’day Quincy, this is Kate Emerson,’ Bundy called out as they negotiated the staircase leading to the veranda. Bundy shook hands eagerly with Quincy – Kate held her hand out while Quincy shook it with delight.
‘Where’s you’re wonderful wife?’ Bundy asked.
‘In here preparing you and your friend afternoon tea,’ a female voice echoed from inside.
‘How are you Victoria?’ Bundy asked. ‘You’re still with this old fellow out here in the scrub – I see?’
‘Yes – I’m better off with the one I know than the one I don’t know. Who’s that you’ve got with you?’ Victoria asked.

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‘I’d like you both to meet Detective Superintendent Kathleen Emerson.’ Bundy introduced Kate to his friends.
‘Pleased to meet you Kathleen, do you want to come inside and we’ll talk and let these two old fellows catch up with what they’ve missed.’ Victoria called out through the window.
Kate entered the house.
‘Where did you find her – you old fox, she’s young enough to be your daughter?’ Quincy asked Bundy with a smile covered his bearded face.
‘You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.’ Bundy told his friend.
‘Try me – you’ve known me long enough to tell the truth.’
‘A couple of months ago I received two medals from the Commissioner of Police.’ Bundy explained.
‘What type of medals?’ Quincy inquired.
‘One for retirement, and another for twenty years continuous service, when I saw them in the case I almost fell over with gratitude. I wrote a letter to the Commissioner to thank him for the kind gesture. In return he contacted me and asked me to visit his office.’
‘This is amazing. You haven’t told me how you met Miss Pretty Face in there with Victoria.’
‘When I visited the Commissioner he wanted me to work with Miss Pretty Face to help solve an investigation into the disappearance of a twelve year old lad who disappeared over eight years ago.’
‘Holy Christ – you were always the lucky one. How’s it going?’
‘Bloody hard, so far there’s nothing only the lad’s mother was the last person to see the boy alive after he left his house to board a train to visit his grandmother. He never arrived and hasn’t been seen since.’

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‘If anyone can find the boy – it’ll be you.’ Quincy finished.
‘Afternoon tea is ready – come and get it.’ Victoria called to the others.
Bundy and Kate enjoyed Quincy and Victoria’s company and over afternoon tea, stories flowed to and fro from Bundy and Quincy how they solved many a crime in their day. Quincy knew Kate’s father, ‘your dad, Harold - wasn’t it; he would be proud of what you’ve achieved Kate. I know he would. He was a great detective and a wonderful man. He always wore a suit and hat.’ Quincy shared.
‘I always wanted to become a detective and follow in his footsteps. Did you ever work with him?’ Her eyes filled with tears.
‘No – he was a bit before my time.’ Quincy finished.
They said their farewells and drove away from the property.

Chapter 6

‘What do you think of my mate Quincy?’ Bundy asked Kate after they’d driven a couple of kilometres.
‘Totally different to what I expected. Did he really know my dad, or was he pulling my leg?’ Kate asked.
‘No – he wouldn’t pull your leg. Quincy is one honest fella and always tells the truth. He’s a type you want on your team. I know we haven’t got much so far but when we get down the track with this investigation and we need his help, he’ll jump in boots and all.’
‘But he’s not working – he’s retired.’
‘He’ll do it for me. Each time I’ve wanted him. I remember once, on Christmas Eve one year a person was killed who’d gone to sleep on the warm bitumen surface on a major highway and was run over by an unknown vehicle.

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I found two cars on Christmas Day. He travelled to where I located them, forensic examined them and found what happened. The drivers thought they’d hit a cow because the person lying on the road was wearing a black and white floral dress. Quincy found imprints of the dress material embedded on the undercarriage of each vehicle.’ Bundy explained.
They drove along in silence.
Near to the turnoff to Bundy’s home it was getting dark, ‘if you want, you can stay the night at my house and return to the city in the morning. I haven’t got any clothes, I discarded my wife’s soon after she passed away; but I’d hate to see anything happened to you. We’ve had a huge day and you must be tied.’ Bundy explained.
‘I always carry a spare change of clothes and an overnight bag. I never know where I’ll be staying or when. Yes, as long as you don’t sleep walk.’
‘You’re safe.’
They parked in the carport at the rear of the house; Kate opened the boot and retrieved an overnight bag. Bundy turned lights on to illuminate the home.
‘Welcome Kate, this is the spare bedroom. The bed’s already made. Open the window and make yourself at home. Turn on the fan if you want. I’ll have a look to see what I can cook for dinner.’
He opened the freezer and pulled out a freezer bag containing chicken wings. After marinating them, placed them into a container, then into the microwave oven to cook for fifteen minutes. Rice was steamed as a side dish.
‘It smells nice what you’re cooking.’ Kate said when she walked into the kitchen.
‘Hope you like it, its marinated chicken wings and rice. It’s quick and easy. Take a seat. I’ll have them on the table before you know it.’

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‘Is there anything I can do?’ Kate asked after she seated.
‘No – I’ve got it totally under control, thank you. You sit and be waited upon.’
After the food cooked he dished it onto two plates and placed one in front of Kate, ‘get your ing gear around this?’ He said.
‘You have some funny expressions.’ Kate answered.
‘Don’t take notice of them – it’s my sense of humour. Don’t you like the way I talk?’ He questioned.
‘No – its not that,’ she took a mouth full of chicken, ‘this is great, I’ll have to get the recipe.’
‘It’s nothing – in fact it’s from the bottle.’ Silence fell whilst they finished their meal.
‘I haven’t got wine but I can make a cup of coffee and we can sit on the veranda to have it.’
‘What - no dessert.’ Kate asked – tongue in cheek.
‘I could muster up some ice-cream and fruit salad. I’m a bachelor, you know.’ They retired to the front veranda after Bundy prepared ice-cream and fruit salad he’d taken from a tin. Each ate in silence.
‘You’ve outdone yourself. This was delicious. I’ll wash-up.’ Kate said.
‘No – don’t worry about the washing up. I’ll do it before I go to bed. Let’s talk about this investigation.’ Bundy asked Kate.
‘What’s there to talk about? Look at the moon, it’s shining bright enough to be daytime.’
‘Yeah – we get that here. It’s open - without glare of city lights, you can see the stars.’ Bundy told her, ‘now back to my original question.’
‘Actually, we haven’t got much to go on – have we? We know his mother was probably the last person to see

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him alive. He never boarded the train to his grandmother’s home. That’s about it.’ She finished.
‘There’s not much to go by. When I was a detective,’ Bundy was cut short by Kate.
‘Bundy, let’s relate to the present. I know you were a good detective in your day, but things have changed. Everything is different now. Investigations are different; the way we investigate is different. I don’t want to sound selfish or inconsiderate but in your day everything was slower.’ Kate admitted. She’d been frustrated how Bundy always mentioned ‘in his day’ as if it was a hundred years ago.
‘What I was about to say, before your outburst, in my day, we often found young lads, about Peter’s age, taken from their neighbourhood by people who’d kidnapped them; drugged them and taken to The Valley for prostitution.’ Bundy finally shared.
‘Yes, I remember reading about the time. One of the lads tried to escape and he was stabbed by another youth.’ Kate said.
‘Yes, it was one of my cases. The youth who did the stabbing, plunged a butcher’s knife through the back of the other youth and twisted it inside. A horrible case. The knife went through the youth’s stomach and out the other side.’
‘I’m not saying this is not going on, but really, by speaking with Mrs Clayton, I doubt if Peter would’ve been this type of child.’ Kate shared.
‘I agree to disagree. It’s getting late and we’ve had a huge day. What about we sleep on it and we’ll talk further in the morning. What’d say – truce?’ Bundy put his hand across to shake Kate’s hand in a sign of truce.
‘Good, then, we’ll follow this up in the morning. Now what about I help wash up before I have a shower and go to bed.’ Kate answered withdrawing her hand to pick up the dishes.

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‘Go ahead and have a shower, clean towels are in the linen cupboard; I’ll tend to the washing up. I’m used to it.’ He smiled and returned to the kitchen.
‘Nite Kate’, was the final words he said to her. She returned a similar blessing.

Bundy rose as the sun broke across the horizon. A piece of toast and a mug of coffee placed on a tray. Before he entered Kate’s bedroom, he knocked and asked to come in. ‘Yeah, what time is it?’ Kate murmured wiping the sleep from her eyes.
Bundy opened the door and placed the tray of freshly cooked buttered toast with a steaming hot mug of coffee on the side table beside her bed, ‘I thought you’d like an early morning coffee.’ He said. Kate had been the first female who’d stayed overnight since he moved into the house apart from his daughter.
‘Wait a minute.’ She called, ‘what’s this in aid of.’ Kate asked. She smelt the aroma of the coffee and freshly cooked toast and to be given it in bed was something special.
‘I used to make coffee and toast for my wife, old habits die hard.’ Bundy whispered loud enough for Kate to hear before he left the bedroom.
‘Thank you Bundy. Your wife was spoilt.’ She enjoyed her first coffee and thoroughly enjoyed the toast. Sitting upright in bed, with the curtains pulled back, window open, morning cool breeze flowing into her bedroom. She looked and saw the miniature horses grazing in the early morning; birds singing and a kookaburra-laughing, could she have died and gone to heaven?
By the time Kate rose Bundy finished breakfast; tidied the kitchen and lounge room. His daily chore to sweep the kitchen floor, vacuum the carpet in the lounge and make his bed after putting the washing on. Dressed in